ketogenic diet for brain disorders

Dietary modification has potential to modulate the manifestations and course of brain dysfunction.

Beneficial effect of certain diets in some and not in other patients with neuropsychiatric disorders suggests that no so single dietary regimen is likely to have beneficial impact due to multiplicity and complexity mechanisms underlying the causation of these diverse disorders with their complex and varied manifestations.

Even with multiple mechanisms, the final pathways may be far fewer or as less diverse allowing for potential for dietary modifications for clinical benefit. One such final common pathway may be dysfunctional energy metabolic pathways.

High-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet is being increasingly popular for management of diverse neurological disorders like epilepsy, infantile spasms, chronic headache, traumatic head injury, Alzheimer’s disease, sleep disorders, cancer, autism, chronic pain, and multiple sclerosis. It should be noted that evidence in support of use of ketogenic diet for some of these conditions. is limited to animal or biochemical data.

Strong evidence exists for anticonvulsive and neuroprotective role of ketogenic diet and its use in patients with medically intractable epilepsy. In fact, a dietary manipulation may allow for discontinuation of not just the anti-seizure medications but even the dietary intervention itself in many cases without relapse of seizures.

Levy and colleagues in a Cochrane DataBase Review 2012 concluded that the ketogenic diet results in short to medium term benefits in seizure control in children to the same degree as mainstream anti-seizure medications. However, Ketogenic diet is also accompanied by high degree of attrition suggesting poor tolerability. Limited evidence suggests that even Atkin’s diet with somewhat less restrictive diet based on same principles may have similar efficacy in epilepsy.

Contraindications of ketogenic diet

According to Drs. Caraballo and Vining ketogenic diet is not for everyone and in fact is harmful in many although uncommon metabolic disorders. These include:

Dietary modification has potential to modulate the manifestations and course of brain dysfunction.

Beneficial effect of certain diets in some and not in other patients with neuropsychiatric disorders suggests that no so single dietary regimen is likely to have beneficial impact due to multiplicity and complexity mechanisms underlying the causation of these diverse disorders with their complex and varied manifestations.

Even with multiple mechanisms, the final pathways may be far fewer or as less diverse allowing for potential for dietary modifications for clinical benefit. One such final common pathway may be dysfunctional energy metabolic pathways.

High-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet is being increasingly popular for management of diverse neurological disorders like epilepsy, infantile spasms, chronic headache, traumatic head injury, Alzheimer’s disease, sleep disorders, cancer, autism, chronic pain, and multiple sclerosis. It should be noted that evidence in support of use of ketogenic diet for some of these conditions. is limited to animal or biochemical data.

Strong evidence exists for anticonvulsive and neuroprotective role of ketogenic diet and its use in patients with medically intractable epilepsy. In fact, a dietary manipulation may allow for discontinuation of not just the anti-seizure medications but even the dietary intervention itself in many cases without relapse of seizures.

Levy and colleagues in a Cochrane DataBase Review 2012 concluded that the ketogenic diet results in short to medium term benefits in seizure control in children to the same degree as mainstream anti-seizure medications. However, Ketogenic diet is also accompanied by high degree of attrition suggesting poor tolerability. Limited evidence suggests that even Atkin’s diet with somewhat less restrictive diet based on same principles may have similar efficacy in epilepsy.

Contraindications of ketogenic diet

According to Drs. Caraballo and Vining ketogenic diet is not for everyone and in fact is harmful in many although uncommon metabolic disorders. These include: